Officials examine the wreckage of US Airways Flight 1549 as it sits on a barge in a Jersey City, N.J., salvage marina Monday. The Airbus was being guarded by company workers, federal investigators and New York City police.

NEW YORK — The probe into the crash-landing of a US Airways jetliner will take a year, and the lessons learned from the spectacular accident will last much longer, a senior investigator said Monday.

“I think this one is going to be studied for decades,” said Robert Benzon, chief investigator on the case for the National Transportation Safety Board.

Benzon said the fact that all 155 people aboard the plane survived removes the guilt and finger-pointing that sometimes accompany aviation accidents. He said lessons learned from the ditching into the Hudson River could improve air safety.

“In one like this, I think there’s potential for a lot of good to come out of it, long-term good,” he said.

The Airbus A320 that splashed down in the river Thursday was at a New Jersey salvage yard Monday, where it was being guarded by company workers, federal investigators and New York City police.

“I was surprised at how intact the plane was,” said James Marchioni, a manager at Weeks Marine in Jersey City, N.J. “There were some bottom panels that were damaged. Other than that, it looked pretty good.”

Marchioni said the NTSB estimated it would take “a week or two” to disassemble the plane so the parts can be shipped to an undisclosed location for closer examination.

The search for the plane’s missing left engine was suspended until today because ice floes made it too dangerous to put divers or special sonar equipment in the water.

The five-member crew, including three flight attendants, has been besieged for media interviews. The crew and the airline released statements Monday pleading for privacy.

The crew said they “wish to offer their sincere thanks and appreciation for the overwhelming support, praise and well-wishes they have received from the public around the world.”

They said they are willing to do media interviews “when the time is right.”

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